Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 24,893 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 385,644 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,893 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $95,069,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at $765,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 194.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 953,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,098,000 after buying an additional 185,765 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 225,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,774,000 after buying an additional 4,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $232.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.61. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.86 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.84 billion, a PE ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. Equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $254.53.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, a hospitality company, engages in managing, franchising, owning, and leasing hotels and resorts. It operates through two segments, Management and Franchise, and Ownership. The company engages in the hotel management and licensing of its brands. It operates luxury hotels under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand; lifestyle hotels under the Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, and Motto by Hilton brand; full service hotels under the Signia by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and DoubleTree by Hilton brand; service hotels under the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, and Tru by Hilton brand; all-suite hotels under the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Home2 Suites by Hilton brand; and economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.